England go from diplomat to firebrandpublished at 15:54 British Summer Time
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer
Image source, Getty ImagesGareth Southgate was the consummate ambassador and diplomat as England manager, displaying a rounded world view, a willingness to speak openly with a wider hinterland stretching far beyond football. It was a quality that served him well when waves spread beyond the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel, in contrast, is a fiery personality known for challenging authority, high maintenance and occasionally outspoken. He does not possess the calm touchline demeanour England grew accustomed to with Southgate. They will now have an explosive presence in the technical area.
He is also well known for not sparing his players, with old footage of Tuchel in a fierce rage, delivering an incendiary training-ground dressing-down to Shawn Parker when he was at Mainz surfacing again recently.
The other side of his personality was witnessed by those who saw Tuchel at Chelsea, where he could be charming, extremely humorous and incredibly astute, as well as acting with great dignity and tact when forced into being the front man for a club in meltdown when owner Roman Abramovich’s assets were frozen in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tuchel was a figure of calm and reason, even insisting he would drive a team bus to Lille himself for a Champions League tie in March 2022 if sanctions meant they were unable to fly.
In his new role, Tuchel will be able to set aside backroom politicking and focus on an area where he is outstanding and proven.